BLOCKED BY FARMERS

Hokitika Guardian, 25 November 1930, Page 7

BLOCKED BY FARMERS

FATE OF THE I.C. AND A. BILL A reference to the Industrial C'onciliat on and Arbitration Bill, which was dropped l>v the Government last session in spite of strong Labour protests, was made by the Min.ster of Labour, the don. h. G. Smith, in a post-sessional address to his constituents last week. The Min ster said be had been much abused over the matter, but lie assert’d that he was innocent of any attempt to foist a bill on to Parliament which would create harm to any section of people in the Dominion. For a number of years the Arbitrate "on Court had ratified argeements reached at round-table conferences be-

tween employees and employers, but a flaw had been discovered in the Act and tire Court was granting concessions to unions. This had proved no hardship, but it had been considered advisable to restore to the Court the power it had been exercising for many rears.

The bill was to protect the power of the Court to include ill all award a matter relevant to the dispute. However, a certain section had decided to annihilate the bill, and aii agitation against tile tjill was Worked up under tlie surface.

Those responsible for the agitation secured the support of many big institut'ons and one of the biggest was the Farmers’ Union, which those opposed to the bill gulled into the belief that the bill, if passed, would bring farm labourers under the-jurisdiction of the Arbitration Court. There was never a more ridiculous statement than this, said Mr Smith as farm labourers always had the power to apply to the Court for an award, and in the past three such applications ha cl been made. The bill did not increase the facilities for bringing farm labourers under the juridiction of the Court, but it had suited those opposed to the bill for this misinterpretation to be made. The bill had been blocked by this opposition from the Farmers’ Union.